Boards
By now the Internet has officially adopted the name “Haylor” to refer to the duo of Taylor Swift and Harry Styles, and based on pictures of the duo, they seem pretty cute and happy. However, the non-Harry members of One Direction are allegedly a little miffed that Harry is off hanging with the country pop princess and kind of leaving them out.
Of course, the only ones who know what’s totally up is Taylor Swift, Harry Styles and the other four-fifths of One Direction, but it brings up an important relationship topic. When you start dating a guy, you start dating his world a little bit too. You can usually put off meeting the family until you’re a little more comfortable, but meeting his friends is bound to happen pretty darn quick. Just like we can get a little territorial about our friends when they introduce a new person into the mix, his friends can feel the same way.
The fact is that both you and his friends love hanging out with your boyfriend, so it’s important to make sure you are respected as the new girlfriend, but also that his friends aren’t cast aside. We’ve come up with some dos and dont’s to help you stay on the good side of your boyfriend’s friends – and hey, hopefully you’ll get to make some new friends in the process!
Do Respect Guy Time
Allegedly Harry chose to fly to London with Taylor, rather than in the company of his band mates. Now, Harry did choose to hang with Taylor, so we're not faulting her. We're just saying his friends may not appreciate if you interrupt what they see as guy time. Don't expect him to hang out with you every waking moment, and if your guy has plans with his friends, don't be constantly checking in. His friends will appreciate that you trust your BF and you respect their time together. Source: TNYF/WENN.comDo Be Social
It can be a little awkward to hang out with his friends if you don't know them well, but do your best to not just sit there. It can give off the impression that you're bored or disinterested and that isn't a good vibe to send to his friends or to get you future invites with the whole crew. Just be your usual awesome, funny self and you'll get more comfortable in no time! Source: Shutterstock.comDon't Try To Get All Their Inside Jokes
While you should definitely be social, don't try to overtake the situation. The inside jokes and stories he shares with his friends have a history. If you start acting like you get them or trying to one-up all their stories, that could annoy them or make them uncomfortable, which you don't want to do. Plus, you shouldn't feel like you have to change yourself to be just like one of them anyway. It's about getting to know the real you and creating your own inside jokes with them. Source: Shutterstock.comDo Invite Them Along
Don't just wait around for them to invite you places — make the suggestion yourself! One-on-one dates are awesome, but there's a lot of things you do as a duo that his friends can join in on. Do you really need to watch a movie just you two? Let his friends come along and ease their worries that you're trying to keep him away from them. Plus, your friends are pretty great too, so invite them along and let everyone mingle and spark some new friendships (or maybe even romances!). Source: Shutterstock.comDon't Make Them Uncomfortable
Now, if you DO invite them along, don't suddenly resent them for being there or act like they're invisible. Engaging in over-the-top PDA or not acknowledging them is basically just as bad as excluding them from the get go. If a night out with you guys turns into them feeling like an unnecessary third wheel, they'll probably not want to hang out with you two again, which could lead to a divide or resentment. Source: Shutterstock.comDon't Judge Their Interests
Close friends do weird things when they are together. You probably do it too. Judging their activities though is a straight ticket to trouble. Maybe you don't get why they have to do certain sports rituals or why they like certain TV shows, but the worst thing you can do is to act like it's stupid. Make an effort to understand it, but if it's not your thing, that's totally fine. Just let it be their thing. Source: Shutterstock.comDo Try To Make Them Your Friends
Just because your boyfriend is the link between you doesn't mean that should be the only topic of conversation. Only talking about your boyfriend can get old pretty quick, but talking about the history class you take with his friend is a way for you to bond over things besides your boyfriend. Being able to consider them your friends rather than just your boyfriend's friends will make for a closer relationship. Source: Shutterstock.comDo Bring Something To Share
In my experience, food is a great icebreaker. What sort of hang out doesn't get better with a snack? Plus it shows that you thought about the well being of the people you're about to see. You don't have to make a five course meal, but contributing some snacks when you see the gang is a great way to be remembered as an awesome addition to the group. Source: Shutterstock.comDon't Make Him Choose
If you give your BF a "me or them" ultimatum, it's only a matter of time before his friends find out and that won't go over well. If you feel like you're not getting quality time with the BF, it's totally valid to talk about it - just be very careful to not phrase it in a way that undermines his friendships. That said, if you feel like his friends don't respect you, he should be willing to stand up for you. His friends shouldn't be the only important relationship he values. Source: Shutterstock.comHave you ever had a problem with the friends of your new boyfriend? What other advice do you have about getting along with his friends? Tell us in the comments!
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